Under the Shadowed Rain
by Kuroshiki
Summary: [Oneshot] Beneath the deadly demon, he was only a lost child hidden behind a mask of blood and false smiles. Okitacentric.


Disclaimer: I don't own Peacemaker Kurogane and I never will, no matter how much I want to... sniff

Author's Note: Hey all you people out there who are currently reading my ramblings! I've finally pulled it together and wrote a oneshot (and all of you are like, "yes yes, we all know.")! Anyways, this is supposed to be a small glimsp of the tragic side of Okita Souji's early life. It's also supposed to be sad, so if any of you starts bursting out in laughter in the middle, then... I don't know, maybe you're just like that. O.o; Well then, please read and review!!

Thanks to my wonderful friend who helped edit and suggested some wonderful things! ENJOY!!!

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Under the Shadowed Rain

_"All living things have hearts. And the heart of any living thing can be broken." -The Tales of Despereaux_

:-:

Kyoto, 1864

A ragged gasp tore from his throat as he sucked in another breath of air. He craned his neck back, trying franticly to distinguish the assassin from the looming darkness. Turning into an unknown alley, he caught sight of a shadowed silhouette stalking him, like a wolf hunting down a stray deer.

_He was coming. _

Tripping on a loose pebble, he fell abruptly onto the cold unfeeling ground, scraping his knee. He ignored the stinging pain and continued to run, scrambling on as his animalistic fear drove him forward, even as his heart pounded erratically against his chest and his lungs screamed desperately for air.

_The demon's child__ was going to kill him. Everything was finally going to end. It could almost have been a blessing. __Almost._

His eyes widened. A dead-end loomed ominously ahead. As he stood in shocked silence, the discrete sound of a blade being drawn from its sheath came from behind.

_No, this could not possibly be the end. It was only… _

Taking a shaky breath, he turned around to face the masked assassin. His body was struggling to stand and his mind was battling for sanity. With each step forward the killer took, he took a step back until inevitably he was cornered with no possible means of escape.

_It was only the beginning. _

His hand reached for the hilt of his sword as tears leaked from his eyes. He drew his sword ever so slowly, hating himself as he charged at the dark figure standing silently ahead.

_He had a wife__, a daughter,__ and a newborn son waiting for him in Edo. He could not die now. He could not…_

A strangled cry echoed through the musty alleys of Kyoto.

_There was still a life of happiness, waiting for him_

The sound of clashing steel rang in the air. He stared desperately into demonic pools of violet as the will to live battled against the lust to kill.

_Just to hear his children's laughter on__e more__ time__…_

"I can't die yet." He could hear his own harsh breathing as his lungs gasped for air.

_Just to see a__nother smile on his lover's__face__…_

"I have to live!" A silver arc flashed through the shadows, and, once more, steel collided against steel in a deadly dance of strength.

_Just to take them in__ his arms when he came home from war… _

A spray of blood rained down, splattering onto the grimy wall as his blade bit down into flesh of the assassin's shoulder. A crimson river flowed to the ground as the killer's sword sliced him across the chest.

_He had wanted so desperately to see his __wife and children again, and yet,__ he could not have hoped to live._

Choking on the blood flooding into his lungs, he coughed and fell onto his knees. His sword clattered noisily onto the bloodstained ground next to his broken body. As his vision blurred, he could feel himself being lowered gently down to the ground. When he opened his eyes once more, he saw the pale face of a young man with crimson blood splattered onto his delicate features. Long dark bangs shadowed the youth's violet eyes as the mixed emotions of guilt and sorrow swirled deep within their unfathomable depths.

_Wait… violet eyes.__ Ah, so his murderer was a mere child._

A letter fell from his bloodied sleeves. His fingers edged to the fringes of paper, trying frantically to reach his last link to the home he left behind.

_Dear Beloved…_

To his utter surprise, a pale hand pressed the precious piece of paper into his palm.

_Everyone is waiting impatiently for your return._

Looking up, he was startled to see the child's soft amethyst eyes fill with unshed tears. It was almost impossible to think of the mourning youth as the same demon who sought after his life mere moments ago. "Th-Thank you," he rasped out weakly.

_Maya-chan is making a present for you, but she won't tell me what it is, no matter how many times I ask. Well, that's just typical of a five-year-old, I would guess._

"Please don't thank me," replied a soft voice hesitantly. "I am merely the demon's child. A killer."

_Keisuke-chan is doing just fine.__ He__ still __looks so cute when he scrunches up his nose as you tickle his feet. _

"No," he said, the corner of his lips lifting slightly in a sad smile, "I am thanking the boy behind the masked murderer, the child lost in this sea of blood." The youth's amethyst eyes widened in surprise.

_In the mornings, sometimes, Takeda-san comes by with a basket of fruits and vegetables. I met her in the marketplace recently and she seems to be a very nice woman. When she has time, she __stops by to __play with the children, for both of her own sons are long grown up and married._

A heavy silence descended upon the deserted alley. With a gust of wind, a single leaf swirled into the sky, falling onto the assassin's hand for a moment before flying off into the distance.

_Life is passing by one day at a time and I have come to find that it's the little things in life that make it worth living for. So please, take care of yourself_

The dying man closed his eyes for the last time as another tear slid down his face. His once strong and steady heartbeat gradually became weaker and weaker until it stopped altogether.

_Love, Michiko._

A drop of water fell from the dark clouded sky. One, then another, until eventually the rain showered upon them like shattered pieces of heaven. As the muffled cries of a warrior echoed hauntingly through the forgotten streets, Okita Souji became, for once, merely a man mourning for the loss of another life.

_Under the shadowed rain__, the lost child__ cried forbidden tears__ that were never meant to be._

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Hm... I don't know if Souji is a bit OOC, but I tried... please review!

Kuroshiki


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